Heavy and awkward loads are often moved in a cargo bed of a pickup truck. Although pickup trucks are designed to transport such loads, loading and unloading such cargo is sometimes difficult. It is beneficial when loading cargo to have a step at an end of a cargo bed upon which to project the load into the cargo bed. In turn, having an operator in the cargo bed of the vehicle is also beneficial to facilitate loading and unloading the cargo, however, for the operator to get into the cargo bed may be problematic due to its height. Loading cargo such as motorcycles and other recreational vehicles may also be difficult without the use of a ramp. However, ramps typically slip on the tailgate of the pickup truck or may not be safely placed on the edge of the tailgate. Step assists and ramps have been employed in the past to ease loading, operator entry into the cargo bed, and moving heavy cargo up into the cargo bed; however, they have been separate and external cumbersome devices that also aesthetically change the appearance of the vehicle.
It is therefore desired to have a step assist, integrated with respect to the tailgate that could be used to facilitate getting the cargo into the cargo bed and for operator's ease of entry into and from the cargo bed. Furthermore, it is desired to have an integrated ramp-securing mechanism that would allow a user to safely secure a ramp for loading cargo into the cargo bed. It is also desired that the step assist and ramp securing mechanism be simple to use, and not change the appearance of the vehicle. As such, it is desired to have a cargo bed step that not only integrates the step assist and ramp securing mechanism, but is also integrated with respect to the tailgate.